LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – A 27-year-old man is facing multiple life sentences in state prison for a mass shooting near MacArthur Park earlier this month that left six people wounded, including the gunman.
The Jan. 22 violence broke out at around 12:45 a.m. near the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and South Alvarado Street.
According to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson, the suspect, now identified as Jose Daniel Amaya, allegedly pulled out a .22 caliber handgun and opened fire, hitting four men and a woman.
The 27-year-old was also struck by gunfire, though, so far, authorities have not identified the person who returned fire.
Medical personnel with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene and rushed three of the victims to the hospital in stable condition. Three others, including the gunman, were also taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition.
On Monday, L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced five counts of willful, deliberate and premeditated attempted murder charges against Amaya along with enhancements for using a firearm in the commission of the offenses and causing great bodily injury to the victims.
Amaya, who has at least two prior felony convictions under California’s three strikes law, could face a maximum sentence of multiple life terms in prison if convicted as charged.
“Gun violence continues to be a devastating scourge in Los Angeles, and today my office has taken decisive action by filing five gun sentencing enhancements, one for each victim,” Hochman said in a news release. “These enhancements carry an additional penalty of 25 years to life in prison. This is a clear and unequivocal message: Gun violence will not be tolerated in Los Angeles County.”
The 27-year-old first appeared in court today where the DA’s office requested he be held on an $8 million bond.
